Dual Intrusion
by KowaiNoOuji
Summary: Aware of the relationship between Shizuo-san and their Iza-nii, Mairu and Kururi cannot help but to be curious. It's with both annoyance and reluctant relief that Izaya discovers how quickly his sisters grow attached to Shizuo. Undoubtedly, his days with the monster are about to be a little more crowded. [One-shot compilation. K -M]


**Dual Intrusion**

In Ikebukuro, people knew to move out of his way. His every step was confident, sure despite the crowds. There was never reason for him to slow because men, women and children had heard enough about the golden haired man to understand it was for their own safety that they move aside. Only the occasional tourist dared to meet his eyes or hesitate as if expecting _him_ to step around _them_.

He would, too. Because what most of Ikebukuro _didn't _know was that Shizuo Heiwajima wasn't a complete asshole and the only time anyone had ever been hurt when standing in his path was when he was after one pretty-faced, foul-mouthed informant.

But tonight he wasn't chasing after Izaya. Not in the literal sense, anyway. He _was_, however, currently headed in the flea's direction with a look on his face that the skittish crowd passing him most likely mistook for murderous intent.

No, murder was not on the schedule this evening. Not unless someone tried to get in his way, and if that happened he wasn't sure what he'd do.

It'd been one week. One long, painful, _boring-as-all-hell_ _week_ since he'd last seen the flea and his pants were starting to feel a little tight around his crotch. Things didn't run so smoothly when he was frustrated, and Shizuo couldn't remember the last time he'd been this _sexually _frustrated. High school? Maybe. But back then he'd been content enough with his hand. Since he and Izaya had started this _thing_, whatever this was, a lotioned palm and a dirty magazine didn't really cut it anymore.

He sucked on his cigarette, his grin a little _too _excited to look casual as he entered Shinjuku. By the time he stepped through the sliding glass doors of Izaya's towering apartment building, his focus was no longer on anything but what he was going to do when he finally got his hands on that skinny louse and his too-pretty _everything_.

Mashing the button that would take him to one of the uppermost floors, he tossed his cigarette into the dirt of a potted fern outside the elevator just before the heavy doors slid closed.

_Three_, he decided as he felt his stomach dip with the swift rise of the lift. _At least. Maybe four if he can handle it. _

This wasn't a surprise visit, either. It was something they'd both planned, needed and couldn't fucking _wait_ for. It had been a particularly busy week for both of them and they were both tired. But sleep could wait. _This _couldn't.

_Open. _He urged the closed doors when the elevator pulled to a stop on his floor. _Hurry the hell up. _He made a half-assed attempt at fixing his hair in his warped and blurry reflection within stainless steel.

He almost ran when the doors opened. _Almost._ Probably would've if there hadn't been someone walking down the hall to look at him like he was insane. But he wasn't insane, and if anyone else knew what was waiting behind the door at the end of the hall, they'd want to run too.

No sooner had he reached the flea's door than he started pounding on it with a frantic, excited fist like whatever his business was it couldn't wait because, well, it quite frankly _couldn't. _

And he was all poised to pounce as soon as he heard the lock clicking open, the latch sliding back, the door handle bending towards the floor as the expensive frame opened a crack to reveal—

Empty space.

No, that wasn't true. There was definitely someone standing in the doorframe. It just took Shizuo a few seconds to realize he needed to look _down_ first, because the person standing there was about two feet shorter than the person he'd been expecting.

A large pair of chocolate eyes stared up at him from behind round-framed glasses.

He didn't even have the opportunity to feel surprised before he felt tiny hands clutch onto the back of his vest, skinny arms tightening around his hips as Mairu pressed her face against his stomach. "Shizuo-san!"

As if on cue, Kururi poked her head out, peeking at him with curious brown eyes before joining her twin sister, winding her arms around Mairu's waist and continuing to watch him from behind her shoulder.

Placing a hand atop each of their heads, Shizuo shoved them away, making sure to be gentle. They weren't nearly as resilient as their older brother. "What are you two doing here?"

"Visiting Iza-nii," Mairu answered matter-o-factly, Kururi offering a confirming nod. Suddenly suspicious, the girls drew away from him, guarding the entryway into the apartment with spread, skinny arms. "What are _you _doing here? Came to settle the score, have you?"

Moving an uncomfortable palm to the back of his head, he directed his attention to the dark hardwood. He hated lying, but it wasn't like he was going to tell them the truth. The girls had seen a lot, but he doubted even _they _could cope with the idea that their _Iza-nii_ was involved with another man. "Yeah, you caught me."

Mairu's face lit up as if Shizuo had just handed her a personally signed photo of Yuuhei Hanejima. Pushing Kururi back with her rear, the two girls stepped aside. "In that case, come in! Just don't break anything, okay? Iza-nii will wake up and think it was us, which isn't fair, is it, Kururi?"

Kururi shook her head.

"So he's sleeping, huh?" It figured. Of course _he'd _be the only one to get excited over this _meeting_ or whatever the fuck it was _supposed _to be prior to the appearance of Izaya's sisters.

The girls linked hands as they lead him into the spacious living area. Izaya was curled up in the corner of his larger sofa, the hood of his fur-trimmed jacket blanketing half his face, his head resting against a flat cushion. Mairu settled herself on the armrest above his head, Kururi on the floor beside him, each of them staring at their brother with poorly veiled reverence.

Shizuo never really understood why they pretended to feel indifferent when it came to Izaya. Obviously that wasn't the case. But he wasn't about to stand here and try to figure out the thoughts of two fourteen-year-old girls. _Especially _two girls of Orihara descent.

A small giggle broke through the quiet. "He's still wearing his shoes."

It was true, and the sight lifted some of Shizuo's disappointment. So it wasn't that Izaya had forgotten. _You're just tired, huh, flea?_

Kururi reached out as if to poke Izaya's nose, but Mairu caught her wrist, her eyes lifting to Shizuo's. "How would you like to do this, Shizuo-san?"

The blond lifted a brow. "Do what?"

"We can tie him up for you if you'd like," was the first astonishing suggestion, "or drug him so he can't fight back. It's all up to you."

Looking at them, Shizuo could tell they were serious. They looked way too excited to _not _mean it, which was as worrisome as it was crazy. "Neither, alright? I don't need help, so keep yourselves out of it."

Both girls pursed their lips in a displeased pout. Mairu, definitely the more vengeful of the two, released Kururi's wrist in such a way as to silently grant her sister permission to continue where she'd left off. Without much expression, Kururi prodded the tip of Izaya's nose, pressing it back until it resembled the nose of a pig. "Oink."

Izaya made a quiet grunting noise, causing Mairu to burst into a fit of bubbling giggles, her fingers lacing over her mouth. Even Shizuo felt the corners of his mouth tweak, but he fought it back. He was the adult here, after all. He needed to reinforce boundaries before all hell broke loose (as he was sure it would if he left these girls without proper supervision).

All three of them fell deadly quiet when Izaya fidgeted, his hood falling away to reveal more of his milky skin, his slender neck and a peek of his collarbone.

Kururi's finger moved to something else, the digit nudging the fading purplish mark on her brother's neck. "Did you do this, Shizuo-san?"

Yeah he did, not that they needed to know that. A little too urgently, he swatted her hand away from what he hoped neither of them realized was a hickey. "Stop poking at him like he's some sorta animal."

The girls glanced up at him, surprised, before exchanging a look with each other. It was one of those looks where communication was made, and not just expression, but conversation.

"Isn't he, though?" Mairu inquired, her gaze challenging behind her frames. "What is it you call him? Kitty-kun?"

"Pet-sama," Kururi offered.

"_Flea_," Shizuo corrected, in denial that the flash of heat in his face was annoyance and not embarrassment. "Now shut the hell up before you wake him."

"But I think we _should _wake him. It's only fair that Iza-nii has the chance to defend himself."

Shizuo's sigh was tired, edging on frustrated. "I'm not gonna kill him, alright? Not tonight, anyway." Or ever, probably. That particular chapter of his life came to a conclusive end the moment he'd tasted Izaya's mouth.

"We won't tell anyone," Kururi murmured, her eyes once again on her brother's face, her fingertips twirling a lock of his inky hair.

A slender finger lifted upwards, Mairu adding, "For the right price, of course. I think you know what we want."

_They're definitely Izaya's sisters, alright. _"Tough shit, kid. You're not getting it."

"In that case…"

Kururi lifted her open palm, preparing to bring it down in a hard slap on Izaya's peacefully slumbering face. Fearing the sort of mood the flea would be in if he were to wake and see that Shizuo couldn't even control two little girls, the blond immediately reached for the back of Kururi's black hoodie, pulling her off the floor like an adult dog might lift a puppy.

As soon as her sister was whipped off the floor, Mairu was lunging towards Shizuo, fully intending to knock him over and into the glass coffee table. Considering she weighed about eighty pounds (the Orihara metabolism was frightening), the force in which she hit Shizuo wasn't much different than being powerfully slammed by a large pillow. The blond barely even realized he'd been attacked.

Kururi lifted her arms upwards, ready to slide out of her hoodie and escape. Mairu stepped back and took a defensive stance, gaze surveying her opponent, realization darkening her brow when she accepted he was much stronger. Just before Kururi began to shimmy out of his grasp and Mairu opened her mouth as if to scream (which would _definitely _rouse Izaya), Shizuo grounded out an angry whisper, surrendering. "Fine. One picture."

Immediately the girls calmed, a complacent smile warming Mairu's face, Kururi no longer thrashing in Shizuo's grasp.

Setting the tiny girl back onto her socked feet, Shizuo massaged his forehead. "Damn brats."

And just when he thought it was over, he looked up to see Mairu fishing around in Izaya's coat pocket. Not wanting to believe what he was witnessing, Shizuo watched on in shocked silence as the young girl pulled out her brother's wallet, thumbing through it and pulling out a handful of bills and a card.

"_Oi!_" He barked as quietly as possible while still trying to convey his outrage. "The hell do you think you're doing?"

With reflexes almost as good as her brother's, Mairu danced out of Shizuo's reach when he made a grab at her. Pausing at the opposite end of the couch, she smiled cunningly, Kururi moving protectively beside her sister.

Shizuo was sure that they were about to negotiate with him in another effort to get Kasuka's phone number, so it surprised him when Mairu simply shrugged, casually explaining, "We're hungry, and it's Iza-nii's job to feed us, right? He has a lot of money, so it's not like he'll notice."

"That doesn't make it right," Shizuo answered sternly, feeling strangely parental as he moved closer to the twins, his palm held forward expectantly. They just stared at him, unmoved by his authority. He sighed. "If you're hungry, I'll make you somethin'."

There was a distinct shift in both their faces as his words lit something within them. They looked _happy_, which he realized they didn't look very often. At least, not the innocent sort of happiness that young girls _should _feel.

"Okay!" And just like that, Mairu placed the stolen money into Shizuo's palm, pulling Kururi with her towards the kitchen.

Shizuo moved to follow after them when he felt a gentle tug on his pant leg. Looking down, his eyes met drowsy crimson. "You're awake?"

Izaya could barely manage a shrug in his position, still too exhausted. "You idiots are loud." He lifted a skinny arm, and Shizuo took it, helping to pull Izaya into a sitting position. The flea's head fell forward, midnight fringe disguising a sleepy gaze.

Kneeling to meet Izaya's eyes, Shizuo almost smiled when the barely-awake louse decided to use his shoulder as a pillow, his forehead pressing against the juncture of Shizuo's neck. "You don't have to stay, Shizu-chan. They can take care of themselves."

Relaxing in response to a gentle inhale of mint and expensive cologne, Shizuo murmured against a pale temple, "Tryin' to get rid of me, flea?"

"It is my life goal, ne."

"You're gonna have to try harder than this," the blond teased, tenderly pushing Izaya back towards the couch. As soon as the flea's head was pressed against the cushions, Shizuo's mouth was brushing his forehead. "Go back to sleep, dumbass. I'm fine."

Thin brows crinkled, hazy eyes conveying annoyance even through the murkiness of fatigue. "I'm going to kill them."

"They're not so bad."

"Shizu-chan has poor judgment."

"Guess that explains a few things, doesn't it?" His lips had drifted to the corner of Izaya's mouth and he could just barely feel the tiny brush of Izaya's lips as the flea turned towards him. "I'll make extra just in case you feel like waking up."

Izaya groaned, the sound meant to be annoyed, disgusted, but barely managing to be anything but a sigh, his stomach fluttering and full of warmth. "I hate you."

Shizuo smiled, amused as he pulled away. "Yeah, yeah."

Mairu and Kururi were already seated at the counter, sitting a little straighter in their seats when Shizuo entered the kitchen. They were strangely quiet, and he couldn't help but sense they'd been talking about him. Ignoring it, figuring it was best not to know anyway, he tugged open Izaya's refrigerator to scout some ingredients.

Absolutely-fucking-nothing.

"That shitty brother of yours needs to go shopping," he groused, pulling out a tiny carton of eggs. He could feel their eyes following him as he moved about the kitchen, and although he knew something was up, he really didn't want to ask. They decided to broach the matter when he'd finished collecting his materials and had poured some oil into a pan to warm it.

"We've discussed it and we've decided which picture we'll accept as payment," Mairu began, her tone firm, as if whatever these terms were Shizuo had no choice but to agree to them.

"Yeah? And what is it?"

It was Kururi that dropped the bomb, her voice tiny, almost childlike. "A nude."

The panhandle creaked beneath Shizuo's palm, bending and warping, hot oil splashing onto the stovetop as his arm jolted. Inhaling deeply, eyes closed, he answered with a definitive, "Fuck no."

"We are not asking."

Shizuo turned towards them, disbelieving that these two girls would be so daring as to ask for a naked photo _of his own damn brother. _"You think I even have somethin' like that?"

"No, but you could easily acquire one, of course." Mairu's smile curled mischievously. "We've taken many pictures of Iza-nii that he doesn't know about. You just have to be sneaky, that's all."

Kururi nodded.

He could feel the blood draining from his face.

Mairu rolled her eyes. "Oh, come on, Shizuo-san. Don't look so shocked. Just because Iza-nii's our brother doesn't mean we can't appreciate him, right?"

"That's exactly what that means," he finally managed, robotically turning back towards the stove and going through the motions of frying rice.

Of course, he didn't believe them. Unlike Izaya, Mairu and Kururi were much more prone to bluffing, whereas their brother tended to come through on the most vile sorts of extortions. These girls were too young and didn't have the connections or experience under their collective belt to yet put together the sort of arsenal needed to truly blackmail anyone.

There was also the fact that—"I don't owe you anything."

The silence stretched tight, and the rising hairs on the back of Shizuo's neck were warning him that he'd just made the wrong girls angry.

"Yes, you do, Shizuo Heiwajima." The dropped honorific was purposeful, a mental tactic they'd learned from Izaya. It was their way of saying that they weren't playing around now, that this wasn't about respect or negotiating, but _taking_. "You owe us for our silence."

Turning the mountain of rice over in the pan, listening to the soft shush of spitting oil against grain, Shizuo's lip twitched. "You think I care that much about not waking that flea? Be as loud as you damn want."

"I think you're confused. Waking Iza-nii isn't what we're discussing here."

Realizing they were serious and that he might actually be wrong, that there _was_ reason to fear them, Shizuo turned back towards them, loosening his bowtie and pulling it off to set it on the counter. Kururi immediately reached for it, tugging it over her head and fastening it around her tiny neck, looking quietly pleased.

"We know," Mairu declared, dark eyes holding his, sharp, looking alarmingly similar to Izaya, their shared features that much more alike under this haughty cloak of assumed superiority.

Shizuo smirked.

It didn't happen often, but sometimes Izaya liked to talk about his job, what it felt like to accurately predict another's movements, to know so much about a person that manipulation was as easy as breathing. It was through listening to Izaya that Shizuo now understood what Mairu was attempting to do. She was _fishing. _It was a beginner's tactic that tended to work best on the paranoid and weak-minded. By simply stating that _they knew_, of course his initial thought would be that they were speaking strictly of the _one _thing he wouldn't want them to know. They didn't have to know, they just had to make him _believe _they knew.

He wasn't going to fall for it. "You flea brats don't know shit."

Their tiny, shrewd smiles didn't waver. If anything, they looked even _more _self-assured, as if his disbelief was somehow _strengthening _what was bound to be one hell of a wake-up call.

They remained eerily silent, however, choosing to watch him (another ploy known as intimidation). But Shizuo Heiwajima wasn't about to be reduced to a quivering coward simply because two teenage girls were watching him like hungry baby birds. Instead, he returned his attention back to making their dinner, questioning as he shoveled the rice onto three separate plates if this had somehow turned into a hostage situation and he wasn't even aware of how much danger he was in.

It wasn't until the eggs had finished cooking that the humming started, Mairu repeating over and over the tune of a well-known carol usually sung by grade-schoolers caught up in teasing their classmates. And then she started singing, the words of the song her own heinous creation. "Shizuo-san and Iza-nii, sitting in a tree," she paused to clear her throat, the volume of her voice rising to a limit that could wake the entire building, "F-U-C-K-I-N—_mfph!_"

The final letter stuck to the back of her throat, lodged behind a pained squeal as two pale fingers pinched like an iron clamp to her cheek.

Izaya glared crimson daggers at his young sister, voice authoritative and sickened. "Your table manners are disgusting."

Both Kururi and Shizuo turned to look over, the blond flushed, the small girl sliding off the barstool and latching onto her brother's side, her arms winding around his waist, her face tucked beside his ribcage.

Once free, rubbing the soreness from her cheek, Mairu brandished an angry finger towards her brother, looked towards Shizuo and commanded, "Shizuo-san, attack!"

"What am I, a damn dog?" He growled, embarrassment forgotten.

Izaya's attention moved to Shizuo, his smirk playful despite his annoyance with the two girls currently hanging all over him. "Almost, ne."

"Shizuo-san's a dog, Iza-nii's a flea," Kururi established, voice muffled in her brother's coat.

The twins giggled, stopping when they each received a harsh pinch to their cheek. "Another word and you die."

Eventually the girls returned to their seats as Izaya moved towards the stove, opening a cupboard to retrieve a white coffee mug. Feeling stiff in front of their young audience, neither Shizuo nor Izaya said so much as a word to each other as they moved about, the informant making himself a cup of coffee, quietly sipping it as Shizuo finished preparing dinner.

His back to his sisters, Izaya joined them in watching the blond make his version of omurice (minus some minor ingredients, of course). Shizuo had removed his vest, the heat from the stove prompting him to undo the first few buttons of his white shirt, his skin glowing beneath the faintest sheen of perspiration. Because it'd been a week since Izaya had last laid eyes on the brute, he noticed Shizuo's skin was faintly darker, due most likely to long days walking around Ikebukuro with Tom, intimidating offenders into paying their debts. The informant idly wondered how many bones the protozoan had broken with those deceivingly strong hands of his; hands he knew from experience could be quite gentle under the _right _circumstances.

Izaya's gaze turned hungry, his fingers tightening around his mug when he remembered _why _Shizuo was here in the first place and what they _would _be doing if his sisters hadn't intruded.

"Why are you here?" He asked, turning to them and not bothering to mask his aggravation.

"Do we need a reason?" Mairu challenged. "Shizuo-san doesn't have one."

"Ah, but the difference between you two and Shizu-chan is that Shizu-chan was _invited_."

Mairu's eyes narrowed, naturally suspicious. Kururi glanced from Izaya to Shizuo, her eyes following some invisible line that connected the two. "_Why?_ What were you and Shizuo-san going to do?"

Leaning forwards, palms pressed to the countertop, he leered at his young sisters. "I thought you knew? You even made up a little song about it, ne."

It was almost comical seeing the twins simultaneously gasp, their faces dropping the pretense of cleverness in the wake of their forthright astonishment.

"The hell are you doing, flea?" Shizuo asked in a lowered growl as he set two plates before the staggered girls. They didn't look horrified, so he supposed that was a good sign.

Izaya sighed, brandishing a snow-white palm as he explained. "Shizu-chan has no idea how annoying it is to try and hide something from them once they're suspicious. They'd find ways of getting proof, and I'd rather do without the hidden cameras." And the pictures and the sound recordings and every other method the girls would consult in order to prove their hunch correct.

That was it, all the confirmation they needed to be one hundred percent positive that their brother wasn't lying to them. It appeared to sink in rather quickly, and neither of them responded the way Shizuo had imagined they would (he'd anticipated some protesting, a good amount of revulsion and upset). Rather, they simply stared at him, their gazes assessing, no doubt sizing him up and deciding whether or not he was suitable enough for their venerated brother.

It was when they began to eat that Shizuo knew he'd cleared whatever test they'd put him through, and he relaxed. "How is it?"

Kururi shrugged, "Okay," Mairu mumbling a barely coherent, "It's a little bland," through a mouthful of rice.

Shizuo smirked. "Kasuka never complained."

The twins paused, looked at each other, looked at him, eyes sparkling. "Yuuhei-san ate this?"

"Who the hell do you think cooked for him?"

Eating suddenly turned ritualistic as they both slowed down, chewing thoughtfully. "It's really delicious, Shizuo-san." Kururi nodded her enthused agreement.

His smirk grew to a rare smile, the girls suddenly distracted by the realization that Shizuo-san was actually a very handsome man in addition to being Yuuhei-san's older brother, and that Shizuo-san in his own right had many valuable qualities.

Noticing this and fully aware of how his sisters got when they saw something (in this case _someone_) they wanted, Izaya drew their attention back to himself before they not only recognized that Shizuo was in all actuality _more _attractive than their adored Yuuhei Hanejima, but he was also more _accessible. _"When you're finished, leave."

"No," they refused in perfect sync.

"We want to spend time with Shizuo-san too," Mairu insisted.

"Tou-san said to stay here," Kururi added.

"Looks like you're on babysitting duty, flea."

Izaya grimaced, turning to look at Shizuo who was behaving a little _too _good-humored for his liking. "This effects you too."

The blond paused, glancing at the twins. "One more day isn't so hard to deal with, Izaya."

That was _not _what the raven-haired man wanted to hear. Though it was true that he was exhausted and working nonstop this week had drained his reserves of energy, that didn't change the fact that he'd been _waiting _for this day like a young child might wait for Christmas. Yesterday he could hardly finish a correspondence, too distracted with thoughts of this idiotic brute and all the places he planned on _having _him. His patience was severed. "Since Shizu-chan is obviously so content with waiting, maybe I'll drag this out for even longer than just a day. Maybe even another week."

Shizuo blanched, knowing full well that Izaya kept his promises, particularly the ones where he intended to make another suffer. Honestly, he was just trying to be considerate for the twins, but another week…there was just no fuckin' way. "O-_oi_—"

"What are they talking about?" Mairu asked her sister, just loud enough to be heard.

"Fucking," Kururi answered simply. "I think."

"Gross." Mairu looked contemplative, eyes evaluating as she compared the two men's builds, their difference in height and gait, which of their faces was prettier, which more handsome (ignorant that there were no set roles and that neither Shizuo or Izaya were always a 'top' or 'bottom'). "I bet Iza-nii takes it up the—"

"_Quiet_." Izaya was practically leaning across the counter, close enough for his sisters to feel the fiery heat of his wrath. "Not another word, ne."

Mairu and Kururi nodded, understanding when and when not to upset their brother. Obviously now was _not _a good time.

Shizuo sighed, feeling more than a little stressed. Noiselessly he moved towards the hall, patting his pockets for his cigarettes and lighter. "I need a smoke."

"We'll come with you," Mairu announced, already sliding off the barstool.

Sensing Izaya wanted a word alone with him (and honestly, kind of needing a moment alone with the flea anyway), the blond offered them a deal. "Give us five minutes, alright, and I'll buy you ice cream or somethin'."

The twins considered this. "Add one photo of Yuuhei-san, and we'll give you ten."

Taking out his phone and going through the few photos he had (most of them just saved photos he'd received in messages), he stipulated, "He's gonna have clothes on."

The girls smiled, elated.

* * *

"Y'know, that could've gone a lot worse." Shizuo tapped the ash from the end of his cigarette, brought it to his mouth and inhaled. "Thought they'd hate the idea."

"Of course they don't. Shizu-chan is Yuuhei-san's brother, ne."

"Dunno what that has to do with me and you."

_Me and you_. Izaya's lip curled. Back pressed to the rooftop barrier, he studied Shizuo's profile, watched as the gentle wind tousled soft gold and parted a white collar to uncover more of that warm skin. It really _was_ such a shame that his sisters had to choose tonight to ruin his plans. Shizuo was looking particularly appealing. "I believe they're under the impression that they might have a chance of meeting Kasuka-kun if things between you and I were to ever progress to a certain point."

Shizuo's expression turned curious. "What point?"

Izaya shrugged, feeling the sudden urge to break eye contact. "Ah, marriage perhaps. Something that would involve a gathering of the Heiwajima and Orihara families."

Shizuo took another drag of thick smoke, making an attempt to remain casual as the flea brought up a topic that his fantasies gravitated towards on those nights when he couldn't quite sleep because thoughts of _maybe_ and _what if _kept him up, ideas of their future much more interesting than any sleep-drawn dream. "That even legal in Japan?"

"No." Izaya smiled a little, thankful that there was no moonlight tonight for Shizuo to discern the slight melancholy darkening deep cherry. "Though I believe Tokyo Disney offers symbolic ceremonies."

Shizuo laughed, the sound gruff, throaty. "You in a damn wedding dress would make my fuckin' day."

"As if I'd degrade myself for _your_ enjoyment." A tiny puff of air just barely managed to push through Izaya's lips, the urge to laugh suddenly difficult to suppress as he imagined the sort of wedding pictures that would come out of a ceremony that involved two of Tokyo's most dangerous men and Mickey Mouse. "Seeing Shizu-chan in white wouldn't be such a bad thing, though."

"You sayin' you're up for it, flea?"

Izaya frowned. "If _that _was a proposal, I'd suggest you try again."

Flicking his cigarette off into oblivion, Shizuo looked out towards the skyline, gaze unfocused and lost in an ocean of blinking lights and passing cars. "I'm not sure ten minutes is long enough for this conversation. Maybe some other time when it's just you and me and I'm dressed in something nicer than my work clothes."

The implication behind those words made Izaya's stomach light. "To think that a monster like Shizu-chan is actually such a hopeless romantic."

"You seem to like it."

They exchanged a brief glance before falling quiet, the sort of quiet that was comfortable and easy, something that had taken time for them to achieve. It was Izaya that decided to break it, his attention focused on the entryway leading to the rooftop.

"Why are you doing this?"

"Smoking?"

"Indulging them."

It was Shizuo's turn to shrug, the motion relaxed. "They're your sisters. Figured it wouldn't be such a bad thing."

"They'll get attached to you, Shizu-chan." It wasn't a warning. The words weren't spoken in concern for the blond. It was simply a fact, and Shizuo knew exactly what Izaya was getting at, knew that the twins were a little _too _used to being abandoned by the people closest to them, knew that Izaya was protective of them though he'd never admit to it.

"That's alright. I kind of miss takin' care of someone else, anyway. Gives me somethin' to do." Shizuo touched a newly lit cigarette to his mouth. "I don't plan on goin' anywhere, flea. If they wanna stick to me, that's fine." The blond grinned. "I can handle a few more fleas."

Izaya wasn't smiling when his eyes met Shizuo's, his feline gaze abnormally affectionate and warm. It wasn't often that Izaya Orihara felt appreciative of another person's existence, but Shizuo had always been the one exception to all of his rules. "They might become something more permanent than something to do with your free time, ne."

"Kinda like you, right?"

"Ah, Shizu-chan thinks this is permanent." The informant tried to convince himself that his heartbeat hadn't picked up, that he didn't feel that familiar but rare buoyancy that came with being happy.

"You tryin' to say otherwise? Cause just a minute ago you were talkin' about getting married."

"I said _they _would like it. My opinion has yet to be shared with you."

"And?" Shizuo tossed his last cigarette over the railing, not bothering to watch it fall away, his leonine gaze now fully engaged with Izaya and nothing but. "What _is _your opinion?"

And for a brief, irrational moment, Izaya was tempted to give it, was sure he knew precisely what he wanted to say. But just then the entryway door swung forward, the twins stumbling onto the rooftop with eager smiles, and his sense came back to him with shocking clarity and he smirked. "A conversation for another time, ne, Shizu-chan."

* * *

After about five minutes of rock-paper-scissors, it was finally decided that Mairu would be the first one to piggyback ride on Shizuo's back on their way to the convenience store, Kururi on the return trip. At first Kururi was visibly upset at having lost until she realized that she then had the opportunity to monopolize Izaya, and after pawing at him enough, he allowed her to hold the sleeve of his jacket (he absolutely refused to hold her hand).

Mairu had donned Shizuo's vest and was currently swinging one of her braided pigtails around like a lasso, continuously kicking him in the side like he was a show pony.

Izaya watched quietly as Shizuo put up with his more loud and all-around annoying sister. His hands held both of Mairu's legs securely, his entire countenance at ease despite the aggravating child currently inspecting his scalp for signs of his natural hair color, grilling him with question after question about his appearance, why he always wore the same outfit, if the reason he dyed his hair was to hide any hints of gray.

Izaya missed nothing. Not the way Shizuo tugged playfully on Mairu's pigtail when she tried to test his tolerance for pain by pinching his cheek, or the way the protozoan grinned when Kururi attached her freehand to his white shirtsleeve, how the shorter-haired twin was still wearing Shizuo's bowtie around her neck.

Catching Izaya's stare, Shizuo's quiet grin contracted. "What?"

The informant remained silent.

By the time they'd arrived at the convenience store, Shizuo was sure Mairu had cracked one of his ribs. Setting her down carefully, he was surprised when he felt her take hold of his hand to pull him inside, Kururi and Izaya trailing in behind them.

The clerk watched the excited girls with a lowered, disparaging glare as they grappled and snatched things from shelves and hooks, throwing them into a red basket as part of their sugary collection.

"They'll spend your entire week's pay if you don't stop them, Shizu-chan."

Shizuo shrugged, tossing a carton of cigarettes onto the counter as he pulled out his wallet. "Let 'em. It's only candy. Can't be that damn much."

But it _wasn't _only candy. In fact, there was very _little _candy when the time came for the clerk to scan the items. Neither Shizuo nor Izaya took any notice until they heard the assistant ask to see some form of identification. Looking over, the two men realized the girls were attempting to purchase an adult magazine, a muscular man in a speedo spread across the glossy cover, winking at them invitingly.

"It's not for _us_," Mairu was attempting to explain shamelessly, "it's for Iza-nii."

"He likes men," Kururi clarified, curled hand pressed over her mouth as she decided between spearmint and cinnamon gum.

The clerk flushed a dark red, eyes glued to the counter, purposefully avoiding the quietly stunned men standing behind the twins. He'd _suspected _something was up when they walked in together. After all, what two young men as attractive as _them_ chose to hang out together on a late Friday night when there were _women_ to be with?

It wasn't until the balding man was slipping the gay mag into a plastic bag that Izaya snapped to, almost leaping with catlike grace to snatch the magazine out of the speechless clerk's hand. "We won't be needing this."

Mairu grinned. "Oh, right. Shizuo-san's staying over, isn't he?"

The assistant turned the color of a ripe plum.

Not one to back down from a challenge and _never _one to feel embarrassed (after all, what did he care about the opinion of some random store clerk?), Izaya pressed a white finger to the man on the magazine and smirked. "At least _attempt _to find something more my taste, ne. Perhaps then it would be a little more believable."

Insulted, Mairu frowned. "This store doesn't have _bartender_ porn."

Izaya's smirk approached a smile, his eyes glimmering with discreet amusement. Mairu knew she'd impressed her brother, her gaze proud behind her glasses.

The same couldn't be said for the blond currently wearing half of his bartender uniform. "_Oi._" The utterance was a truncated, imposing rumble, holding enough impact to pull the attention of all three Orihara siblings and the clerk.

"Shizuo-san is embarrassed," Kururi uttered, placing her choice of gum on the counter.

"Damn right," he growled, stomping over and shoving them aside to peer into the basket, glancing around for anything else they might've snuck in. "Why the hell do kids your age even know about this shit?" He pulled out a DVD, the cover being two effeminate men embracing behind the bars of a prison cell. The plastic casing groaned beneath his palm.

"We're fourteen."

"Too young," Shizuo admonished, shoving the DVD into the rack of candy beside the register.

"Then can we have this?" Mairu held up a different DVD.

Shizuo glanced at it, anger subsiding at the sight of his brother's face. Taking it, he placed it on the counter. "Alright, but that's it."

"Ah, this too, ne."

Izaya discreetly slipped a small box towards the clerk, hiding the package from his curious sisters with his coat sleeve. Shizuo's face flushed as dark as the assistant's as he paid for the odd assemblage of items.

The return trip to Izaya's apartment was a lot more subdued, the crowd less dense, sidewalks quieter. Kururi's arms hung lazily around Shizuo's shoulders as he carried her on his back, her legs calmly swinging as they walked, Mairu happy enough to just walk close to her brother.

And once again, Izaya observed them, his eyes fixated on Shizuo and the way in which he looked so content, so naturally familiarized to his role as adoptive caretaker to the twins.

He looked like he was _enjoying_ himself, and though Izaya didn't understand why, this realization _bothered _him.

By the time they'd reentered the dark apartment and the girls had settled onto the couch, Izaya was unarguably discontent with the situation, the feeling escalating when Shizuo conceded to their demands that he sit between them.

"Put it in, Iza-nii," Kururi requested, passing the DVD over the back of the couch.

The girls scooted closer to the blond as the opening credits rolled across the large flat screen, Kururi smacking her gum, Mairu picking through her colored gummy snacks.

Izaya glanced at the three, momentarily wondering where he should sit, the thought worsening his disquiet. He moved past them towards the kitchen.

"Hey."

The informant looked back, eyes meeting Shizuo's, understanding quite quickly that the blond sensed something was wrong. And though he knew there was no point, that lying never worked with Shizuo, Izaya smirked anyway.

"Don't abandon me with these brats, flea." The words were playful, the girls laughing lightly at the recognition, but Shizuo's gaze was anything but, golden caramel warmed with concern.

"Shizu-chan doesn't seem to have any difficulty handling them."

The blond frowned, picking up on the delicate apprehension hampering Izaya's ordinarily teasing cadence.

His face felt tight as he held onto his smirk, dropping the expression as soon as he turned away with a casual wave of his hand. "I'm just getting water."

He was simply annoyed, of course. After all, it _had _been an entire week since he'd last been alone with Shizuo, and now his sisters seemed intent to selfishly monopolize the brute for themselves the entire night. And the worst part was, Shizuo didn't seem to _care. _In fact, the protozoan was _relishing _the attention. Anyone would be aggravated over this sort of situation.

The sound of innocent, childlike laughter echoed throughout the apartment, reaching into the kitchen and casting shadow over a ruby gaze. Izaya's fingers pressed tightly around the glass in his hand.

He realized he was lying to himself when he reentered the living area to find both his sisters resting their heads on Shizuo's shoulders, the blond quietly laughing along with them, the sound deep, husky.

No, this wasn't annoyance. It was fear.

"Iza-nii," Mairu called, patting the cushion beside her. "Sit here."

There wasn't much space, but he managed to fit, sighing as his sister moved to lie across his lap, lifting her feet to rest them against Shizuo's knees.

With his arm stretched along the back cushion, Shizuo's fingers softly brushed against Izaya's neck as they watched the movie, the touch comforting as if to say everything was okay, whatever it was, there was no need to worry.

Izaya swatted his hand away, Shizuo glancing over to find the flea ignoring him, gaze detached, thoughtful.

"_No!_" Both girls objected when Kasuka leaned in to kiss the main actress.

Unease momentarily broken, Shizuo smiled. "It's not real."

The girls were quiet until Mairu asked, "Does Yuuhei-san have a girlfriend?"

"Dunno. Why? You think you have a chance?"

"Yes," the twins replied.

Shizuo laughed again, that same, throaty laugh that warmed Izaya's chest despite the heavy presence blackening his thoughts. "You're kinda young for him."

"You're just saying that because you're his brother," Kururi protested.

The blond shrugged. "Maybe."

"Besides, we don't need your permission."

"You didn't ask for ours when you decided to date Iza-nii."

"Would've said no, huh?"

"No," was their immediate, synchronized answer. "We like Shizuo-san."

"Tou-san and Kaa-san won't," Kururi added, sullying the mood. "Shizuo-san can't give them grandchildren."

"Who cares? Children are useless anyway," Mairu commented.

"Particularly you two, ne."

The three at the opposite end of the couch looked over at Izaya, growing quiet under the blanket of his dark mood. Sinking back into an uneasy silence, the four kept their eyes on the screen, their laughter now conspicuously absent.

Shizuo's fingers were once again brushing Izaya's skin, but this time the flea didn't swipe his hand away. Rather, he reached for it, his fingertips kissing Shizuo's, the gesture repentant, allowing the blond to run his fingers against his cheek, his thumb to trace his jawline. And he calmed, as he knew he would, his anger wilting in the wake of the warmth blooming within his chest, his stomach, at the reassuring touch, the attention. But still, sitting heavy on his mind were the same troubling thoughts. Thoughts his own sisters had given voice to, so casually, as if it were so little a problem it was nearly a joke.

The girls were asleep before the closing credits and quietly, gently, so as not to disturb them, Shizuo and Izaya helped settle them onto the couch, the blond placing a blanket over them to keep away the cold.

Izaya glanced over when he heard Shizuo breathe a quiet chuckle. "Hm?"

"Nothin'. They just sorta look like you when they're asleep." He touched a finger to his brows, forcing them together as if to look angry. "All three of you frown."

"Ah, perhaps it's only when we sleep close to Shizu-chan. Monsters do belong in nightmares, ne."

"If that's the case, I don't think you'd let me sleep over as often as you do, flea."

"I'll stop allowing it then." His fingers pinched Shizuo's shirtsleeve, tugging it lightly as he started towards his bedroom. "Tomorrow."

The bedroom door closed with a soft click, Izaya locking it to keep out any curious intruders. Shizuo was already moving towards the bed, unbuttoning his shirt and stripping down to his boxers, sighing tiredly as he took a seat on the edge, watching Izaya in the dim light coming through the floor-to-ceiling window.

Their eyes held briefly, just before Izaya moved towards the en suite bathroom, flicking on the light and closing the door.

Shizuo listened to the sound of running water, the clink of glass against cool marble, his stare on the closed door, his attention on the louse behind it. Izaya emerged in nothing but his black boxer briefs. In his hand was the box from earlier which he tossed onto the bed beside Shizuo before coming to stand between the blond's spread knees, his hands moving over strong shoulders.

Shizuo's big, warm hands circled the backs of Izaya's thighs, gripping him and rocking him closer as he looked up into dusky vermillion. "You wanna talk about somethin'?"

"As in what, Shizu-chan?"

"Don't play dumb," the blond growled, hands moving to grasp thin hips, pulling Izaya closer to brush his mouth against the dip of his navel, nipping at the skin just above the waistband of his tight underwear. "It's not cute."

"And I should care if you find me cute." Carding his fingers in flaxen hair, Izaya tightened them, pulling just above Shizuo's nape, feeling the blond's breath hitch against his abdomen. "You really do overestimate my opinion of you." And as he said this, his hand withdrew to Shizuo's cheek, slender fingers admiring the alluring curve of an unflawed jawline.

Beneath his touch, Izaya felt Shizuo's jaw tense, a sign that he was angry, that now wasn't the time for teasing or playing games. Unfortunately for him, Izaya was in no mood for being honest.

"Damn louse." Shizuo pulled Izaya onto his lap just to level their gaze, the informant avoiding him by pressing his face against his neck. Izaya's tongue massaged Shizuo's skin, pressing wet lines against warm flesh, teeth nibbling, biting, tasting salt and sweat. His hips rolled forwards, pressed and pushed downwards as strong hands moved to his ass, drawing him closer.

"_Izaya_."

"Drop it, Shizu-chan. It's not important."

"You gotta talk to me, flea."

When he realized his attempt at seducing the protozoan into shutting up wasn't going to work, Izaya yielded, pulling away and locking his attention onto concerned amber. "I don't have to do anything, ne. If you're not here to fuck me then leave."

Those considerate leonine eyes turned injured, thin lips pulling into a frown, the hands on Izaya's ass dropping back to his thighs. "That's not how this works anymore and you fuckin' know it."

"Enlighten me on how this works then since you've clearly given this so much thought." Izaya didn't intend for the words to come off as biting, harsh and reproachful as they did, but that gnawing fear from earlier was still _there_, still potent and restless with images of Shizuo and his sisters, making them dinner, humoring them, buying them sweets and letting them ride on his back with that idiotic smile on his face. Izaya's fingers curled sharply into naked shoulders, bit into bronze skin.

"This about what I said on the roof?" Insecurity, harrowing uncertainty, replaced all traces of hurt, Shizuo's hold loosening as if to move away, wounded.

Izaya smiled, the expression lacking humor, an attempt to mask the panic spinning a storm inside his head. "That's it, ne. Of course making this permanent is no doubt an attractive idea for you considering how desperate you are for any form of stability, but I will not be _used_ by you, Shizuo."

For a moment, Izaya was sure Shizuo was going to hit him. Could almost feel the blood pulsing through thick veins, encouraging the swell of that formidable anger and rousing the indolent monster. What he wasn't expecting was for the blond to pull him into a kiss, expression melting beneath the burn of need as Shizuo's tongue slipped inside his mouth to taste him, the familiar flavor of ash and _Shizuo_ overwhelming all other thoughts and releasing a floret of calm, a torrent of affection and want. He wouldn't let go. Izaya thought he was ready to pull away, but Shizuo was once again nipping at his bottom lip, lazily dragging his teeth against his mouth, dipping inside to slowly savor the slow slide of their tongues, his hands returning to smooth over Izaya's skin, holding him close, reassuringly, his palms demanding nothing but to be felt as they slipped across his back.

It wasn't long before the kiss slowed, the initial urge behind it yielding to make way for the unhurried burn of desire, Izaya's body warm and limp in Shizuo's lap, a soft flush darkening his face as traces of cigarette smoke and adoration were pressed against his lips, sighed into his parted mouth. And just when he could breathe again, Shizuo was pulling him down as he lay back against the bed, Izaya finding himself straddling the blond's hips as the man beneath him continued to coax his lips into parting further to feel him.

Shizuo broke away only when he felt Izaya understood, only when he saw the flea recognize his mistake, a glimmer of apology softening his defenses as Izaya finally kissed back, lips a satin press against Shizuo's mouth, unexpectedly tender for a mouth that too often expressed contempt.

The blond lowered his mouth to the flea's throat, breathed against the fading bruise, pinched the mark between his teeth just to feel the way it made the louse shudder. "Wanna rephrase that or just admit that was bullshit?"

Rather than apologizing, Izaya stayed quiet, pressing his forehead against Shizuo's collarbone. He was receding, trying to hide that he was upset. So Shizuo decided to ask one more time, knowing better than anyone that sometimes it took a lot of _trying_ in order to get Izaya to stop running away. "What's wrong, flea?"

"You want them."

Shizuo glanced down into a head of midnight hair. "Your sisters?"

"Children." The word was hot on his tongue, sticky and hard to pull out, this conversation one the informant _never _imagined himself having.

"So I like them." His thumbs began to knead gentle circles into Izaya's thighs, working at the knots of tense muscle beneath milky skin. "Doesn't mean I'm father material, Izaya."

The raven-haired man sat up, gaze disparaging, guarded. "You are." It might be the only thing the brute would excel at outside of smashing things. It wasn't just that children were drawn to him; it was the atmosphere when Shizuo interacted with them. All of his good qualities, the reasons people could look past the parts that made him monstrous, were brought forth when he took care of others. It was something he _enjoyed_.

"I can't give you that, Shizu-chan."

And just like that Shizuo understood. The flea's quiet, his distance, why he might want to avoid bringing any of it up. There was a hint of annoyance behind his smirk as he pulled Izaya closer by the arm, mouth moving against a pale shoulder as he spoke. "So you think I'm gonna toss you aside 'cause you can't give me something I never even said I wanted, huh?" He sighed, his frustration with the louse making his voice coarse. "You need to stop overcomplicating shit, Izaya. It's like you can't accept that I just might be happy with how things are."

Of course he couldn't. This _was_ Izaya-overthinking-literally-everything-_Orihara_ he was talking about. The flea's brain didn't know how to slow down, to take things at face value. Shizuo supposed that if he thought about it long enough, he'd come to the conclusion that Izaya might have trust issues and that those issues were part of a very complex arrangement of insecurities that no amount of cocky bravado could entirely shelter. But he wasn't in the right state for analyzing _anyone's _thoughts. Right now he had a hundred and thirty pounds of almost-naked flea straddling his waist, looking like he was actually _afraid_ of what Shizuo might decide to say, acting like he didn't _believe _what the blond _was_ saying, and being just as frustrating as any one person possibly _could_ be.

He could've gotten angry if all of this wasn't making him happy, the smile spreading across his face clearly confusing the raven-haired man who was watching him with that ever-calculating stare, trying to read someone who always had been like a foreign language.

Finding one of Izaya's hands, Shizuo laced their fingers, the informant allowing it simply because his confusion was slowing his speed of reaction.

Melted honey met black-lashed crimson. "This is it for me, Izaya. There's nothing worth givin' this up for."

And even though he tried to help it, tenderness still managed to relax the informant's gaze, softening the sharp line of his mouth as Shizuo's words thawed his defenses and reached to mollify his anxieties. "Not even having your own family, ne."

The blond lifted a questioning brow. "Who says I can't?"

Izaya's gaze sharpened. "Shizuo—"

"This is permanent, flea, and that's as close to one as it gets." He calmed when he felt Izaya finally start to unwind, hips drawing forwards again as if he suddenly remembered that pressing close felt good. "Don't really care about having kids and that perfect family shit." Izaya's hands moved to clutch down on his shoulders, the flea using him as leverage as he arched forward to press their skin flush, ruby eyes focused, absorbing every word like it was air. "Wouldn't mind gettin' a dog, though."

"No animals." Pale fingers stretched to caress soft gold, his heart drumming against his ribcage, pulsing blood into his cheeks, between his thighs, longing and something _else, _something terrifying and monstrous and enduring, pushing warmth through his veins and contentment into his soul.

"Fine." Shizuo smiled agreeably, just before Izaya took his lower lip inside his mouth to suck on it. "Just me and you."

_Me and you_. Izaya nodded softly, just enough to brush their noses as he quietly agreed the rest of his life away to a man who always promised he'd one day end it. Their lips touched, the kiss deep, desperate, his hands in Shizuo's hair, grip just verging on painful as the blond's mouth parted to allow Izaya another taste, their lips moist with every caress of tongue, every exchanged breath and panting gasp. "_Shizu-chan._"

The blond nodded, understanding what Izaya needed, hands moving to slender hips and coaxing the informant onto the bed, exchanging their places and lowering his hips between Izaya's parted thighs to massage himself against dark cotton. "You locked the door, right?" His mouth was at Izaya's ear, breath heated and wet as his hands worked at pulling away the flea's underwear, cock already half-hard and hot as it pressed against his stomach.

Izaya didn't even look as if he were listening, bottom lip glistening, pink tongue slipping into Shizuo's mouth as he spread his legs further. One of his hands dropped to the bed, reaching for the small box he'd tossed earlier and opening it with trembling, eager fingers.

"Strawberry?"

"You like sweet things, ne."

The blond's eyes darkened as they met Izaya's, reading what the flea wanted and where exactly he wanted his mouth. Izaya lifted his leg so that Shizuo could brush himself against a creamy thigh as pale fingers passed over the unwrapped bottle.

"Turn over."

Doing as asked, Izaya pulled himself onto his knees, cheek flush to dark sheets, fingers tightening to grasp the comforter as wet heat licked up the back of his thigh, Shizuo's tongue dragging upwards, teeth pulling tight cotton away from Izaya's skin, releasing it to let it snap back with a sting.

Izaya's breath was a trembling , uneven mess, vision unfocused as anticipation wound tight in his belly, Shizuo's fingers dragging the waistband of his underwear away from his hips, cool air rushing against hardened flesh just befor—

There was a small knock on the bedroom door, causing both men to still.

They stayed quiet, hoping they'd somehow imagined it, that they _hadn't _been interrupted, when there was a second round of soft knocks.

"Go away," Izaya demanded, voice strained beneath the weight of his need. Shizuo's hands were no longer touching him, and this annoyed him more than the disruption.

"I can't sleep, Iza-nii." It was Kururi.

Izaya sighed when Shizuo pulled away, only feeling more frustrated when the blond pressed a placating kiss to his lower back before removing himself from the bed to pull on some of Izaya's gray sweats. Tossing some to Izaya, the informant dressed, covering pale skin with a black t-shirt and shorts before going to his door and cracking it.

Kururi stood there, shamefaced, eyes puffy as she stared at the hardwood flooring. It was a sight Izaya was familiar with, the situation a weekly occurrence when the twins were younger and they all resided within the same home. He never _did _understand why it was _his _door she came to when she couldn't fall asleep, but it never changed, apparently even now.

"Go to the kitchen," he ordered, annoyance amazingly absent, keeping himself hidden being his only concern. "I'll be there in a few minutes, ne."

Her head bobbed. Izaya waited until she was out of sight before shutting the door, momentarily closing his eyes, inhaling deeply to stifle his excitement from earlier.

"She alright?" Shizuo was at his side, hand coming to rest comfortingly against Izaya's hip, mouth at his shoulder.

"She has trouble sleeping. Ah," the informant pressed his head to the back of his bedroom door, rifling through his medicine cabinet in his mind's eye. "I don't think I have anything to give her."

"You got any milk?"

Izaya turned to Shizuo, settling the blond with a withering glare. "She's fourteen, Shizu-chan, not four months."

"It works, flea." Strong arms wound around a skinny waist, pulling Izaya close, mouth smiling against a fair neck. "I'm good with kids, right?"

"They're not _kids_, they're a challenge." Quoting Shizuo's words from earlier, Izaya clarified with a tiny smile of his own, "Flea brats, ne, Shizu-chan."

A small laugh brushed warmth against moonlight skin, Shizuo's voice an affectionate rumble against Izaya's temple. "Even better."

* * *

Once Izaya and Shizuo had time to cool off, they entered the kitchen to find Mairu and Kururi seated exactly as they'd been hours earlier, except now they were holding hands, Mairu tenderly kissing her sister's cheek, whispering softly into her ear.

Izaya stepped in, pushing them apart with a firm hand. "Stop it."

"We aren't _doing _anything," Mairu bit out defensively, her eyes just a smidge too tired to really come across as irritated. "Nothing like you and Shizuo-san," she added as if she'd had her ear pressed to Izaya's door and had heard everything.

Cold washed over the informant, his tone imposing, disturbingly quiet. "There is a difference between comforting your sister and being incestuous, and the line is _not _as thin as you two like to pretend, ne."

The twins looked offended. "Our love is pure, Iza-nii."

Disgust overpowered all other feeling, Izaya staring at his sisters as if he couldn't make sense of them (and he never really could).

Skirting quietly around the three, simply listening as he warmed some milk in the microwave, Shizuo added, "Sounds like Iza-nii is jealous."

The girls set their unadulterated attentions on Izaya, eyes suddenly awake and shimmering with wonder as they considered that Shizuo-san just might be right and that their Iza-nii wanted a kiss too.

Realizing what was about to happen, Izaya stated a firm, "No."

But it was too late. Mairu was the first one out of her chair, slipping around the counter and throwing her arms around her brother's shoulders before he could even move away. Puckering her lips, she pressed them solidly to Izaya's cheek, pulling away with a loud _mwah!_ and giggling as her feet touched the floor again. It was Kururi's turn next, except she had much more difficulty trying to reach her brother now that he knew what she was up to. It was when she looked like she'd given up, her face disheartened and unmistakably disappointed that Izaya sighed. As he leaned down, Kururi smiled, just before giving him a tiny kiss to his cheek.

Shizuo was grinning as he set two cups of warm hot chocolate on the counter for the twins who were watching him expectantly. "What?"

"Now it's Shizuo-san's turn."

Realizing what they wanted, his eyes lifted to Izaya's to find the flea smirking. "You don't wanna see that."

"Yes we do," Mairu insisted, Kururi nodding eagerly.

It didn't matter what he wanted or what he thought they should or shouldn't see. Just when he was about to talk himself out of it, long fingers were bunched in the front of his borrowed shirt, Izaya pulling him forward to press their mouths together in a kiss that was just shy of being too intimate for an audience.

When they parted, Izaya's eyes momentarily soft and alarmingly possessive, the girls were staring, faint pink dusting their youthful faces.

"Can we kiss Shizuo-san too?"

All gentleness dissipated from Izaya's gaze, voice stern. "No."

"Selfish," Mairu reproved, returning to her seat at the counter with Kururi and taking the first sip of her hot chocolate. "Iza-nii's stingy."

The informant shrugged, smirk returning, proud and unarguably teasing. "There are some things I will never share with you, ne."

"No one wants your sloppy seconds anyway."

"_Oi_," Shizuo snapped, only half-defensive, Izaya's blatant possessiveness making it hard to be truly mad about anything at the moment.

The girls smiled unapologetically as they finished off their hot chocolate. They gulped it down, the warm drink seeming to work instantly as their eyelids lowered. They yawned, and Mairu leaned over to rest her head against Kururi's shoulder.

"Amazing, ne," Izaya murmured the moment Kururi nodded off, watching his sisters with subdued regard. "Not even pills work this quickly for her."

"Don't need to be givin' her pills anyway," Shizuo issued quietly, getting around the counter just in time to catch Mairu before she slipped off the barstool. The young girl roused briefly before settling against Shizuo's chest, her brown hair tickling the underneath of his chin as he scooped her up.

Carrying Kururi, Izaya followed Shizuo back into the living room. Once again they settled the girls on opposite ends of the couch, pulled a blanket over them, and returned to Izaya's bedroom.

"Leave the door open, Shizu-chan," the informant bade, climbing into bed tiredly, eyes only closing once Shizuo had slipped in beside him. Strong arms encircled his waist, pulling him flush against a naked chest, Shizuo's face pressed into raven hair.

"They love you, y'know."

Izaya grimaced. "That word is prohibited, Shizu-chan."

"Yeah, yeah," the blond smiled. "Still true, though." Laughing quietly, his breath blew warm and soft through inky locks. "_Iza-nii_."

Izaya bristled in his grasp, sighing his irritation against bronze skin. "Shut up."

They fell quiet, Izaya lulled into a drowsy near-sleep, Shizuo thoughtful.

"Do you think your parents would hate me or was that just Kururi bullshittin' me?"

"Of course they'd hate you," Izaya replied quietly. "Shizu-chan isn't exactly the bride they were dreaming of for their only son, ne."

An excited, hopeful energy lifted the blond's mood, smile tangible in the dark. "So we're back to the marriage conversation again, huh?"

"No," Izaya denied, face warm, stomach aflutter and hot. "I'm just reminding you that not everyone in my family will fall for you as quickly as Mairu and Kururi."

"And you," Shizuo added.

"Ah, but that wasn't very quick, was it?"

The subtle affirmation urged Shizuo's heart to full-throttle, the heavy beating felt by the skinny louse, their faces tilting closer, Izaya's mouth flush beneath Shizuo's ear.

At their feet the bed dipped, a heavy weight pressing down on the comforter and pulling away the sheets. Shizuo and Izaya glanced down to find Mairu trying to sneakily crawl into bed with them.

"Out," Izaya demanded, lifting a sheet-covered foot and pushing against Mairu's shoulder.

"But _Iza-nii_—"

"You're fourteen. You are not sleeping with us, ne."

Kururi, at first nowhere to be found, popped up behind Shizuo's shoulder, clambering onto the bed and curling up beside him. Immediately Izaya sat up, pushing her away from the blond and shoving her onto the floor.

"_Iza-nii_," the twins whined simultaneously.

"No."

"C'mon flea—"

"See? Shizuo-san doesn't care!"

And as if that were the end of it, as if they weren't in _his _apartment trying to sleep on _his _bed and cuddle up to _his _monster, the girls unceremoniously hopped back onto the bed, wedging themselves between Shizuo and Izaya and snuggling close atop the sheets.

Crimson eyes glared at the girls, watched with annoyance as their skinny legs tangled and their fingers twined, identical foreheads pressing together, eyes fluttering closed, entirely at peace.

Surrendering, too exhausted to care anymore, Izaya returned his head to his pillow, brushing away a stray pigtail. Glancing down and realizing Mairu was still wearing her glasses, he carefully slipped them off, setting them on his bedside table.

Shizuo was grinning at him from the other side of the bed, face devastatingly striking even in the poor lighting, something in his expression forcing Izaya to stare, distracted, quietly trying to discern what that look was and why it made him feel—

He sighed, a burst of affection wrecking havoc on his heart. _You're happy, ne, Shizu-chan. _

And as Izaya closed his eyes, as the sheets were tugged every now and then as one of his sisters tousled, as he listened to the sound of their light breathing and felt Shizuo's unmistakable and comfortingly familiar presence, he understood what Shizuo meant about this being enough, how possible it was to just be happy with the way things were.

"Me too, Shizu-chan," Izaya mumbled with little coherence, eyes opening to find warm caramel. Beneath his pillow he felt rough, warm fingers brush his knuckles.

"Hm?"

"Permanent, ne."

Shizuo smiled, too tired to stay awake, wanting nothing more than to hold onto just another moment of consciousness, even to just use it to think about tomorrow and all the days after, looking forward to spending as many of them as he could with the only fleas in the world he'd never want to get rid of.

* * *

**Author's Note:** This turned out _much _longer than I ever intended, but I suppose that's just how it goes sometimes. I can't explain how much fun it is to write Shizuo and Izaya interacting with the twins. I think I'm addicted, to be honest, which is why this is going to be an ongoing compilation of Shizaya + the twins one-shots. I've got so many ideas, and AshsHorrowShow has already shared so many of hers and GAH. I am just so ready to write these.

Please review/leave kudos if you have the time and enjoyed it! Feedback always means a lot!


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